Means for inflating balloons and the like



H. A. DODGE AND W. L LEATHEROW.

MEANS FOR INFLATING BA'LLOONS AND THE LIK APPLICATION FILED OCT-9,1915.

1 ,329, 5 1 2-. Patented Feb. 3, 1920.

W/T/VESS: 7 D l v vmrggs aro 0 e a p71 Walterflfliea herour A TTOR/VE Y8 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Hnnomi A. DODGE, EssEx EELLs, AND WALTER J. LEATHEROW, 0E NEWARK, NEW I I JERSEY, nssrenons T0 HOWE BAUMANN BALLOON 00., or NEWARK, NEW JERSEY,

A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MEANS FOR INFLATTNG BALLOONS AND THE' LTKE.

' ing a citizen of the United States,'and residing at Essex'Fells, Essex county, and State of New Jersey, and the. said LEATHEROW also being a citizen of the United States,

' and a resident of Newark, Essex county, and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Means for Inflating Balloons and the like, of which the followin is a specification.

.%his invention is a device whereby inflates ble articles, such as toy balloons of all kinds, may be readily blown up and the inflating medium retained within said article, the object being to provide a simple and effective device which can be manufactured economically.

The invention embodies a mouth-piece serving as a valve-casing, a valve positioned with said mouth-piece, and retaining means for precluding detachment of the valve from said mouth-piece. In a preferred form, the mouth-piece is provided with a flange, the latter having a groove externally and 1nternally thereof. Within the casing formed by the mouth-piece is positioned a loose valve composed of a single piece of thin flexible material such as rubber, said valve being free from direct attachment to the mouth-piece. The retaining means may be of various forms, but it is preferably of spring wire separate from the mouth-piece and it is sprung into position so as to lie across the open inner side of the cas ng or mouth-piece and in the path of the loose valve, whereby the spring retainer precludes the valve from being blown into the balloon or other article during the operation of infiating the same.

It is to be understood that When the mouth-piece is placed to the lips and air is blown through the same into the article, the loose valve is unseated from across the inflating hole, but the retainer confines or holds the valve within the mouth-piece so that it is not blown by the inflowing air into the balloon. The valve is pressed or forced to its seat .by the pressure of the air within the article, said valve being composed of flat, thin, flexible material so as to expose a through the valve with the neck 0 Patented Feb. 3, 12320.

Application filed October 9, i915. Serial 110. 54,967.

relatively large area to the pressure of the air and to result in the valve being ressed tightly against the mouth-piece at a points around the inflat' aperture. Preferably the metalv around t e aperture is punched so as to form abead internal-1y of the mouthplece, against which bead the flexible valve is pressed in order to prevent the air from escapmg.

It may be stated that the device consists of few parts easily made and quickly assembled so as to attain the desired economy of manufacture, but at the same time the valve is easily operated and it is efiicient in performing the important function of retaining the air for an indefinite time so tion.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a viewof a balloon equipped with an inflating valve of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a section on an enlarged scale the balloon applied thereto.

.Fig. 3 is an inside view of the mouthpiece, the retainer and the valve.

The mouth-piece A is provided with a central inflating aperture a and with a rim or flange b, the latter extending at right angles to the plane of the plate forming the mouthpiece. Around the'mouth-piece on the 'interior thereof is a head 0 concentric with 'the axis of the inflating aperture (1 and as to keep the article in an inflated condiso as to form a bead internally of the mouthpiece simultaneously with the operation of unching the aperture therein. The rim or an b is provided with an exterior groove 6', t e edge of the rim or flange being turned inwardly so as to form an interior groove .6 the. entire mouth-piece being pressed or struck up from a single piece of metal at one or more'operations.

Positioned within the chamber formed by the mouth-piece is a valve 0, the same unattached to the mouth-piece and consisting such as rubber.

The valve C is prevented from blowing out of the mouth-piece when the article is inflated by the operation of a retainer B,

of a single pieceof thin'flexible material the same cooperating with the .inouthiece and being positioned in the path 0 the loose valve C. Preferably, said retainer is separate from the mouth-piece and it is composed of spring material so that it may be snapped into position within the mouthpiece for the purpose of holding itself by frictional. contact with said mouth-piece. This retainer B may be composed of different materials and be embodied in many different forms, but it is preferred to produce the retainer from a piece of spring wire which is bent into a form to serve as a barrier for the loose valve and at the same time expose the valve to the pressure of the inflating medium. As shown, the retainer is bent from a single piece of wire to bring its members into' crossing relation and to present a number of points adapted for frictional engagement with the wall of the interior groove 6 whereby the retainer may be rapidly and economically made from wire and easily and quickly-assembled with respect to the mouth-piece by snapping said retainer into the groove 6 I From the foregoin description it is apparent that the mout iece may be struck up from sheet metal, t e valve cut from a plece of rubber or other material, and the retainer, bent from a piece of wire, after which the valve may be positioned within the mouth-piece and the retainer shapped into frictional engagement with said grooved mouth-piece, thus completing the valved mouth-piece ready for application to, or for use in conjunction with, the article to be inflated.

As hereinbefore stated, the article may be any inflatable device composed of rubber or other material, such as a toy balloon, indicated at D. As is usual in the art, the balloon is provided with a flexible neck integral with the rubber material of the balloon. To apply the valved mouth-piece to the balloon or other article it is only necessary to expand the edge portion of the neck E into frictional engagement with the external groove of the mouth-piece, whereupon the inherent elasticity of the flexible neck draws or contracts so that the edgeportion of the neck will have tight frictional engagement with the externally grooved flange of the mouth-piece.

When it is desired to inflate the article I the mouth-piece is placed to the lips and air is blown through the aperture a into the balloon, the inflowing air displacing the loose valve from the perforated plate of the mouth-piece. At this time the retainer B precludes the unattached valve from passing with the lnflowing air into the article to be inflated, but when the operator wishes to blow any air through the'mouth-piece, the pressure of the air within the articleacts .upon the loose valve in a manner to force the same into tight frictional contact with the mouth-piece and over the aperture therein, the flexible character of the valve permitting it to conform tothe bead or groove of the mouthpiece and thereby close the article against the escape of air through the aperture in themouth-piece.

Having thus fully described the invention, what we claim as new, and desire to v secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A device for use on inflatable artlcles embodying a mouth-piece, a valve positioned within the mouth-piece and adapted to be held by pressure of the inflating methe mouthpiece and being free to move in the space intermediate the retainer and the mouthpiece, whereby the valve isprecluded from passing with the inflating medium into the article'to be inflated.

2. A device for use on inflatable articles embodying a mouthpiece, a valve ositioned within said mouthpiece, said va ve being free from direct attachment to said mouthpiece, and a retainer separate from the mouthpiece and cooperating therewith for limiting the movement of said valve, said 7 retainer being attachable to the mouthpiece.

'3. A device for use on inflatable articles embodying a mouth-piece, a valve positioned within the mouth-piece and adapted to be held by pressure of the inflating medium into close contact with said mouth-piece, said valve being free from direct attachment to the mouth-piece, and a retainer separate from the mouth-piece and engaging frictionally therewith so as to be in the path of the loose valve for precluding the latter from passing with the inflowin inflating medium into the article to be in ated.

4. A balloon or like inflatable article, provided with an elastic neck, a mouthpiece having a flange, said flange being provided exteriorly thereof with a, groove into which isfitted the edge portion of said neck so as to retain the mouthpiece in position by the frictional contact of the neck with said mouthpiece, a valve positioned interiorly of said mouthpiece, and means for retaining the valve within said mouthpiece.

5. A device for use on inflatable articles embodying a mouth-piece, a valve composed of a thin flexible material and positioned loosely within the mouth-piece so as to be pressed by the inflatin medium into tight contact with said mout -piece, and a s ring retainer having frictional contact wit the mouth-piece and positioned in the path of said loose valve.

6. A device for use on inflatable articles embodying a mouth-piece provided with an internal groove, a retainer sprung into. the mouth-piece and frictionally held in the fined loosely in position between the retainer and a wall of the mouth-piece.

7. A device for use on inflatable articles embodying a mouthpiece provided around the inflating aperture with a bead positioned interiorly of said mouthpiece, a valve composed of thin flexible material and free from 7 direct attachment to the mouth-piece, said valve being pressed by the inflating medium against the mouth-piece and against the bead thereof, and means for retaining the loose valve Within the mouthpiece.

8. A balloon, or like infiatable article,

provided with an elastic neck, a mouthpiece lnsertible into the neck and retained in position relatively thereto by frictional engage- .ment between the neck and the mouthpiece, a valve composed of thin flexible material positioned within said mouthpiece, said valve being free from direct attachment to the mouthpiece, and means for retaining the valve in operative position within said mouthpiece;

In testimony subscribed our names.

HAROLD A. DODGE.

WALTER J .LEATHEROW.

whereof We have hereunto 25 

